List of songs about the Vietnam War

This is a list of songs concerning, revolving around, or directly referring to the Vietnam War, or to the Vietnam War's after-effects. For a more complete listing see "Vietnam on Record" at http://www.lasalle.edu/digital/Keesing/Vietnam_on_Record.pdf Also see the "Vietnam War Song Project" at http://rateyourmusic.com/list/Gershwin/vietnam_war_song_project/

Revisions and sourced additions are welcome.

Some popular songs of this variety include:

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

0-9

• "19" by Paul Hardcastle
• "1954 Cha Bỏ Quê, 1975 Con Bỏ Nước" by Phạm Duy, about the two large migrations: in 1954 and 1975.
• "2 + 2 = ?" by The Bob Seger System
• "50,000 Names" by George Jones (about the Vietnam Memorial wall)
• "53rd & 3rd - The Ramones
• "8th of November" by Big & Rich
• "21st Century Schizoid Man" by King Crimson

A

• "About The Vietnamese Friend" by Edmund Iodkovsky & Vano Muradeli
• "Agent Orange" by Sodom
• "Agent Orange Song" by Maan Shah
• "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" by Arlo Guthrie
• "All My Children of the Sun" by Pete Seeger
• "American Woman" by The Guess Who
• "An American Draft Dodger in Thunder Bay" by Sam Roberts
• "All Along the Watchtower" by Bob Dylan

B

• "Bà Mẹ Phù Sa" (Southern Mother) by Phạm Duy - about a peasant woman who hides a government agent when she sees a Vietcong, and in turn hides the Vietcong when she sees a government platoon coming.
• "Bài Ca Dành Cho Những Xác Người" (Song for the Corpses) by Trinh Cong Son - about the Battle of Huế and the Massacre at Huế
• "Back in Vietnam" by Lenny Kravitz
• "Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
• "Ballad of a Crystal Man" by Donovan
• "Ballad of the Green Berets" by Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler
• "Ballad of Vietnam" by Ludvick Rummel
• "Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley" by Terry Nelson
• "Beach Party Vietnam" by The Dead Milkmen
• "The Big Parade" by 10,000 Maniacs
• "Big Time in the Jungle" by Old Crow Medicine Show
• "Billy Don't Be a Hero" by Paper Lace
• "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" by Public Enemy
• "Black Flame" by Renaissance
• "Born in the U.S.A." by Bruce Springsteen references The Siege of Khe Sanh among other things
• "The Boy Who's Never Found" by the Katydids
• "Bring The Boys Home" by Freda Payne
• "Bring Them Home" by Pete Seeger
• "Brothers Under the Bridge" by Bruce Springsteen
• "Blue and Yellow" by Infamous Ent
• "Bungle in the Jungle" by Jethro Tull

C

• "Ca Dao Mẹ" (Mother's Lullaby) by Trinh Cong Son - about a mother's sacrifices during wartime
• "The Call Up" by The Clash
• "Camouflage" by Stan Ridgway
• "Charlie Don't Surf" by The Clash
• "Child in Time" by Deep Purple
• "Cho Một Người Vừa Nằm Xuống" (For a Person Just Fallen Down) by Trinh Cong Son - dedicated to Lưu Kim Cương, a friend of the author who died in battle. Who is a South Vietnamese Air Force pilot.
• "Civil War" by Guns N Roses
• "Clean Cut Kid" by Bob Dylan
• "Commando" by The Ramones
• "Compared To What" by Gene McDaniels
• "Compulsory Hero" by 1927 - deals with conscription in Australia during the Vietnam War
• "Copperhead Road" by Steve Earle
• "Cops of the World" by Phil Ochs

D

• "Daddy Won't Be Home Anymore" by Dolly Parton
• "Đại Bác Ru Đêm" (Cannon's Night Lullaby) by Trinh Cong Son - about bombardment in the city
• "Dân Ta Vẫn Sống" (Our People Still Lives) by Trinh Cong Son
• "Daniel" by Elton John - the verse dealing most specifically with the Vietnam War was removed by lyricist Bernie Taupin shortly before being recorded.
• "Dear Uncle Sam" by Loretta Lynn
• "Did You Ever See Me" by Shrubs
• "Disposable Heroes" by Metallica
• "Do The Russians Want War?" by Mark Bernes
• "Đợi Có Một Ngày" (Wait Until the Day) by Trinh Cong Son - expressing the author's desire for peace
• "Đồng Dao Hoà Bình" (Children's Song of Peace) by Trinh Cong Son
• "Don't Walk Away" by Shrubs
• "Draft Dodger Rag" by Phil Ochs
• "Draft Morning" by The Byrds
• "Draft Resister" by Steppenwolf
• "Drive On" by Johnny Cash

E

• "Edge of Darkness" by Iron Maiden
• "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire
• "Everyday Combat" by Lostprophets

F

• "The Fightin' Side of Me" by Merle Haggard
• "First Vietnamese War" by the Black Angels
• "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield
• "Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
• "Front Line" by Stevie Wonder

G

• "Galveston" by Glen Campbell
• "Galveston Bay" by Bruce Springsteen
• "Giải phóng miền Nam" (Liberate the South) by Huỳnh Minh Siêng
• "Gia Tài Của Mẹ" (A Mother's Legacy) by Trinh Cong Son
• "Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones
• "Giọt Nước Mắt Cho Quê Hương" (A Teardrop for Homeland) by Trinh Cong Son
• "Give Peace a Chance" by John Lennon
• "Godspeed" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
• "Goodnight Saigon" by Billy Joel

H

• "Hallelujah Day" by Jackson 5
• "Handsome Johnny" by Richie Havens
• "Hands Off Vietnam!" by Dzhilda Mazheykayte
• "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" by John Lennon
• "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
• "Hát Trên Những Xác Người" (Singing on Corpses) by Trinh Cong Son - written following the Tet Offensive
• "Hallå Där Bonde" (Hello there Farmer) by Knutna Nävar
• "Hello Vietnam" by Johnnie Wright (also recorded by Dave Dudley)
• "Here's to the State of Richard Nixon" by Phil Ochs
• "High" by Richard Marx
• "Home" by Mac Davis. Also recorded by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap
• "Ho Chi Minh City" by *Shrubs
• "Huế Sài Gòn Hà Nội" (Huế, Saigon, Hanoi) by Trinh Cong Son - expresses the author's desire for a peaceful, united Vietnam
• "Human Being Lawnmower" by MC5
• "Huyền Sử Một Người Mang Tên Quốc" (Ballad of a Person named Quốc) by Phạm Duy about Phạm Phú Quốc, a RVAF pilot who bombed the Independence Palace in Saigon. He was shot down in North Vietnam in a mission to bomb the North. This song reflected his bravery, his mission and his lost

I

• "I Ain't Marching Anymore" by Phil Ochs
• "I Can't Write Left-Handed" by Bill Withers
• "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag" by Country Joe and the Fish
• "I Have Seen the Rain" by Pink (featuring James T. Moore, her father)
• "I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)" by Grand Funk Railroad
• "In the Name of John" (Russian: "Во имя Джона") by unknown Soviet military advisor
• "Inoculated City" by The Clash
• "Into the Fire" by Sabaton
• "I Should Be Proud" by Martha and the Vandellas
• "It Better End Soon" by Chicago
• "It's Good News Week" by Hedgehoppers Anonymous
• "I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk in the Light Green)" by Redgum
• "Imagine" by John Lennon
• "I've Seen All Good People" by Yes

J

• "Jacknife Johnny" by Alice Cooper
• "Jimmy Newman" by Tom Paxton
• "Jimmy's Road" by Willie Nelson
• "Johnny Come Lately" by Steve Earle

K

• "Kentucky Kid" by Yuri Vizbor
• "Khe Sanh" by Cold Chisel
• "Kill for Peace" by The Fugs
• "King Henry" by Pete Seeger

L

• "Last Train to Nuremberg" by Pete Seeger
• "Letters from Vietnam" by B.o.B
• "Lost in the Flood" by Bruce Springsteen
• "Lyndon Johnson Told the Nation" by Tom Paxton

M

• M-16, concept album about the Vietnam War, by Sodom
• "Machine Gun" by Band of Gypsys (Jimi Hendrix)
• "Masters of War" by Bob Dylan
• "Medieval" by James
• "Memento Mori" by Patti Smith
• "Monk Time" by The Monks
• "Monster" by Steppenwolf
• "Moratorium" by Buffy Sainte-Marie
• "More Than a Name on a Wall" by The Statler Brothers
• "Một Buổi Sáng Mùa Xuân" (One Spring Morning) by Trinh Cong Son - about a child killed by landmine
• "Mother, Where Is My Father" by David Peel & the Lower East Side
• "Mountain" by Manowar
• "My Name is Lisa Kalvelage" by Pete Seeger about a mother, a War-bride from Germany, who speaks out against the war
• "My Son John" by Tom Paxton

N

• "The Nang, the Front, the Bush and the Shit" by El-P
• "Near Thái Nguyên Bridge" by Alexander Gusev
• "Như có Bác Hồ trong ngày vui đại thắng" (If Only Uncle Ho was Here On the Day of Victory) by Phạm Tuyên.
• "Nối Vòng Tay Lớn" (Joining Hands) by Trinh Cong Son - expresses the author's wish for peace. This song was played on the radio after the communist forces took over Saigon's radio station during the Fall of Saigon.

O

• "Oh! Camil (The Winter Soldier)" by Graham Nash
• "Ohio" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
• "Okie from Muskogee" by Merle Haggard
• "Old Hippie" by The Bellamy Brothers
• "Old Porch Swing" by Eddy Arnold
• "Orange Crush" by R.E.M.
• "Over And Out" by Alkaline Trio

P

• "Peace Train" by Cat Stevens
• "Peace Will Come" by Tom Paxton
• "Penny Evans" by Steve Goodman
• "People, Let's Stop the War" by Grand Funk Railroad
• "Phantom" (Russian: "Фантом") — Russian song by unknown author.
• "Price of Paradise" by The Minutemen
• "Pull Out The Pin" by Kate Bush
• "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix
• "Purple Heart" by Sabaton

Q

• "Question" by The Moody Blues

R

• "Rachel’s Coming Home" (aka "Rachel") by Russell Morris
• "Raymond" by Brett Eldredge
• "Red" by Barefoot Truth
• "Reflected Prayer" by Shrubs
• "Reflections of My Life" by The Marmalade
• "Remember the Heroes" by Sammy Hagar
• "Requiem for the Masses" by The Association
• "Revolution" by The Beatles
• "Revolution 1" by The Beatles
• "Riding With Private Malone" by David Ball
• "Road of Life" by unknown Soviet military transportation officer
• "Rooster" by Alice in Chains
• "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition
• "Run Through the Jungle" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
• "Running Gun Blues" by David Bowie

S

• "Saigon Bride" by Joan Baez
• "Saigon Ơi Vĩnh Biệt" (Saigon, Goodbye) by Nam Lộc - an anthem for Vietnamese refugees having to flee their homeland after the Fall of Saigon.
• "Sam Stone" by John Prine
• "Save The Country" by The Fifth Dimension
• "Sean Flynn" by The Clash
• "Search and Destroy" by The Stooges
• "Shut Out The Lights" by Bruce Springsteen deals with Post-traumatic stress disorder of a returning veteran
• "Simple Song of Freedom" by Bobby Darin
• "Singin' in Vietnam Talkin' Blues" by Johnny Cash
• "Skies on Fire" by AC/DC
• "Sky Pilot", written by Eric Burdon, recorded by The Animals
• "Smiley" by Ronnie Burns
• "Something to Believe In" by Poison
• "Spitting" by Rocket From The Crypt
• "Still in Saigon" by the Charlie Daniels Band
• "Straight to Hell" by The Clash - deals with the abandonment of Vietnamese children fathered by American soldiers
• "Sunshine" by Jonathon Edwards
• "Surrender" by Cheap Trick
• "Sympathy For The Devil" By The Rolling Stones

T

• "Talking Vietnam" by Phil Ochs
• "Talking Vietnam Potluck Blues" by Tom Paxton
• "Ta Phải Thấy Mặt Trời" (We Must See the Sun) by Trinh Cong Son
• "That Black Wall" by Danny Barnes
• "Three-Five-Zero-Zero" from the musical, Hair
• "Tình Ca Người Mất Trí" (Love Song of Someone Who Lost Their Mind) by Trinh Cong Son - women with lovers who are soldiers
• "This Ain't Nothing" by Craig Morgan
• "To Susan on the West Coast Waiting" by Donovan
• "Travelin' Soldier" by Bruce Robison (popularized by the Dixie Chicks)
• "Trường Sơn Đông - Trường Sơn Tây" by Hoàng Hiệp, from a poem by Phạm Tiến Duật, about PAVN soldiers on the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
• "Spiral of Violence" by Whiplash
• "Track of my Tears" by Smokey Robinson

U

• "Uncommon Valor: A Vietnam Story" by Jedi Mind Tricks
• "Universal Soldier", written and recorded by Buffy Sainte-Marie; also recorded by Donovan
• "Unknown Soldier" by The Doors

V

• "Vietnam" by Phil Ochs
• "Vietnam" by J. B. Lenoir
• "Vietnam" by Jimmy Cliff
• "Vietnam" by Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards
• "Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh" by Ái Vân and The Blue Guitars
• "Vietnam Talkin' Blues" by Johnny Cash
• "Vietnamese Baby" by New York Dolls
• "Viet Nam Blues" by Kris Kristofferson (also recorded by Dave Dudley)
• "Vietnow" by Rage Against The Machine
• "Volunteers" by Jefferson Airplane

W

• "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy" by Pete Seeger
• "Walking on a Thin Line" by Huey Lewis and the News
• "Wake Up" by Rage Against the Machine
• "Wandering the swamps of Vietnam" by unknown Soviet military advisor
• "War" by Edwin Starr
• "War Games" by The Monkees
• "The War Drags On" written and recorded by Mick Softley; also recorded by Donovan
• "The War Is Over" by Phil Ochs
• " We Just Did What we Were Told" by Don Forbes
• "War Pigs" by Black Sabbath - written about the politicians who were responsible for the war.
• "War Sucks" by The Red Krayola
• "Welterusten Meneer de President" by Boudewijn de Groot
• "What Are You Fighting For" by Phil Ochs
• "What's Going On?" by Marvin Gaye
• "Where Are You Now, My Son?" by Joan Baez
• "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" by Pete Seeger
• "White Boots Marching In A Yellow Land" by Phil Ochs
• "The Willing Conscript" by Tom Paxton
• "Wild Irish Rose" by George Jones - about a homeless, alcoholic Vietnam veteran

Y

• "Yellow River" by Christie
• "You Haven't Done Nothin'" by Stevie Wonder
• "Youngstown" by Bruce Springsteen
• "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore" by John Prine

See also

• List of anti-war songs
• Vietnam War